AL-QADHDHAFI INTERVIEW WITH AL-RA'Y AL-'AMM

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP05-01559R000400420020-7
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 6
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 12, 2012
• Sequence Number: 20
• Publication Date: June 25, 1987
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

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V. 29 Jun 87
LIBYA n 1
Air Force `Obliged To Combat' U.S.,Interference.
LD271303 Tripoli JANA in Arabic 1130 GMT;27~Jun 87.
[Text] Washington, 27 Jun (JANA) -The U.S. Department of
Defense stated last week that Libyan jet fighters twice flew near
a U.S. Navy cruiser in the Mediterranean and that orders were
given to the cruiser's crew to confront a possible attack. }, ? ?
The JANA editor for military affairs has 'responded to this by
noting that while Libyan aircraft were carrying out routine
reconnaissance flights in the Mediterranean, a U.S. vessel began
interfering with one of these'planes.?Conaequently, the;interfer-
ing party was approached~to,learn its identity and to warn it
against the folly and consequences of this action: ,
The editor stressed that interfering with Libyan reconnaissance
aircraft is a hostile and provocative U.S: act which Libya will.not
accept. He stated that if Libyan aircraft are subjected to inter-
ference or interception during their routine and legitimate mis-
sions, then the Libyan Arab Air Force under international law
will be obliged to combat the U.S. Naval units..; ,, .; ;., ;
The editor reaffirmed the Great Jamahiriyah's call for removing
foreign fleets from the Mediterranean. These fleets are a source
of aggression against the region's nations and a constant threat
to their security.
He called on the littoral states to. earnestly workto avert this
threat inherent in foreign naval fleets..: ~ . _
AI-Qadhdhafi Interview With AL-RA`Y AL-`AMM
JN271718 Kuwait .9L-RA'YAL- AMM in Arabic
25 Jun 87 pp 11-13
[Interview with Libyan leader Colonel Mu`ammar al-Qadhdhafi
by Al-Ra y al- Amm correspondents Fahd al-Masa`id and `Abd-
allah al-Shiti at the AI-Nasir Salah al-Din Barracks in the
Birkah District of Barghazi-date not given]
[Text] Your Excellency the Colonel: What is your opinion of
the Kuwaiti idea to hire Soviet tankers and to raise the U.S. flag
on Kuwaiti vessels?
The Colonel: In fact I admire Kuwait's policy, which is a
balanced one based on sound Kuwaiti convictions. If Kuwait
deems it in its interest to provide protection for its tankers, then
it can do what it wants without any pressure.
Your Excellency the Colonel: You do realize why Kuwait has
Soviet tankers and why it has requested escort for oil tankers?
The Colonel: Iran accuses Kuwait of assisting the Iraqi war
effort against if. We have made several protests to Iran because
it attacked Kuwaiti targets and provoked Saudi tankers. Iran has
said that as long as Iranian oil is the target of Iraqi attack, it will
prevent the export of Iraqi oil through the Gulf just as Iraq is
preventing the export of Iranian oil.
Your Excellency the Colonel: The situation in the Gulf
demands a Libyan voice or, more correctly, Libyan weight to stop
the Iraq-Iran war.
The Colonel: The first thing that we must do is to try and put
an end to the war. If this war is stopped, then a new page will be
turned in the efforts being made to pave the way for Arab unity.
We are determined to exert every effort to end the Iraq-Iran war.
We sent an envoy to Iran who met with Iranian officials and
informed them that Libya's aim is to stop this war; it is a
meaningless conflict and has inflicted grave losses on both sides.
He also told them that Zionism and imperialism stand to benefit
from this war since their goal is to destroy the capabilities of both
Iran and Iraq. We found the Iranian officials to be somewhat
intransigent,but they accepted the principle of continuing the
dialogue between Libya and Iran until one side convinces the
other.
Your Excellency the Colonel: Are there any secret contacts
between Iraq and Iran through Arab or foreign mediators?
The Colonel: I do not know anything about this.
Your Excellency the Colonel: But you have an effective role in
this regard, do you not?
The Colonel: We are convinced that the Israelis are very
satisfied with the continuation of this war and with the destruc-
tion of the Iraqi force and the Iranian revolution, for these two
things constitute a threat to Zionism and imperialism. They see
this as an opportunity to make these forces clash and to exhaust
their resources and capabilities. In actual fact, this war is mean-
ingless because the Arabs have no intention of annexing the
Iranian nation and Iran has no intention of annexing Iraq.
Your Excellency the Colonel: Have you not noticed that Iran
is trying to expand the war and to involve Kuwait as a third side?
The Colonel: Actually, I do not have any confirmation in this
regard. However, I do hope that the war will not expand and that
we will be able to contain and end'it.
Your Excellency the Colonel: Do you not believe that the
Iraq-Iran war has surpassed all expectations and limits?
The Colonel: I would have liked this war to have been waged
against the shah's regime in Iran because we would then have
been the first to fight alongside Iraq. However, we instigated the
Iranian people to revolt against the shah and they responded. The
revolution was born, the shah was toppled, and Iran became a
revolutionary state. The question now is: Why should we fight
against a revolution which toppled the shah who was the enemy
of the Arabs, an agent of the United States, and the ally of the
Israelis? Toppling the shah was a great service for the Arab
nation. The answer to this question is that this is a real dilemma.
The war has became an real threat to Iraq, which is an Arab
state. This is a real dilemma for us as a revolution.
Your Excellency the Colonel: Iran has been shown to be in
league with Israel, and Israel is supplying Iran with arms.
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The Colonel: As I have disclosed before, this is only applicable
to one faction in Iran. I have also said that there is a fifth column
in Iran and that there are agents for Israel and the United States
within the Iranian revolution. I have stated these things publicly.
I have said that the United States and Israel want this war to
continue. We do not find it strange that Israel should supply Iran
with weapons to ensure a continuation of this war. The
Americans are doing likewise, not out of love for Iraq or Iran but
out of hate and in order to destroy the two countries. The United
States and Israel are out to break the back of Iraq in view of the
fact that it is the most important Arab force. They also want to
exhaust Iraq's Army, oil, and resources. The Israelis are encour-
aging the continuation of this war to waste the energies of the
Gulf.
Your Excellency the Colonel: Suppose Libya and sisterly Syria
undertake a joint effort to end the war and to bring about ~a
cessation of hostilities between Iran and Iraq?
The Colonel: This is very much on our mind. I am going to
send the same envoy who visited Tehran to Iraq to sound out the
Iraqi leadership and to communicate to it the thinking of the
Iranians. The Iranians have been positive by agreeing to continue
dialogue with us until one party convinces the other of its view.
This is something new.
Your Excellency the Colonel: Is there aSyrian-Libyan initia-
tive on the table to end the war?
The Colonel (laughing): Syria has a higher stake in the war
than we do; it has common borders with Iraq and Israel and is
more susceptible than others to regional ups and downs. The
bottom line is that the existing inter-Arab differences are rooted
in Arab reality. The responsibility for this state of affairs lies with
us alone. I ask myself why Iraq and Libya should be in dis-
agreementwhen they have no common borders, one being in Asia
and the other in Africa. However, we have the struggle for
Palestine and aspirations for Arab unity in common. I cannot
think of one reason why Libya and Iraq should be at odds. To
repeat, Iraq has benefited from the war. I consider Iraq's leaders
to be the most realistic and responsible among their Arab coun-
terparts. The war has taught them a lesson and made them into
something that was not there before the conflict began; war is a
bitter experience.
Your Excellency the Colonel: Are you in favor of a Syrian-
Iragi rapprochement?
The Colonel: Yes, naturally. Following the 1974 October war,
I made great efforts to reconcile them. As a result, President
Hafiz al-Asad visited Baghdad. I proposed unity between the two
countries and I stand ready to relaunch this initiative, for
bringing Iraq and Syria together is a pan-Arab duty.
Your Excellency the Colonel: What about the talks held in
Algeria? Is there a new unionist experiment between Libya and
Algeria?
The Colonel: The experiment is for the establishment of a
federation and not unity. Several years following the establish-
ment of such a federation, the experiment may be promoted to a
merger. Within the next few months we will declare the estab-
lishment of a federation between our two states, specifically on .
the day that the Algerian revolution was announced; that is, in
November.
Your Excellency the Colonel: What form will this federation
take?
The Colonel: It will be a federated state and will have a
presidency and federal institutions. God willing, after a few years
the experiment may be promoted to a full merger. There will be
federal authorities and regional authorities. In other words, each
state will retain its system of rule; namely, Libya will continue
to have the Jamahiriyah system of rule run by its masses and
Algeria will be ruled by the FLN. There will also be a presidential
council for the federated state, as well as a national wngress,
which will be the legislative authority, and an executive commis-
sion. Since Libya lies in the center of the Arab world, it is
interested in linking the east and west sides of this world in a form
of unity or federation. We have made several initiatives in this
regard. We fear the ?terms "the Arab Maghreb," "the Arab
east," and "the fertile crescent." We always fight such terms and
believe in unionist Arab action.
Your Excellency the Colonel: It may be useful to establish such
Arab blocs in order to reduce the multiplicity of Arab regimes,
especially since the Arab citizen has despaired of the possibility
of establishing comprehensive Arab unity.
The Colonel: Our slogan has always been Arab unity from the
ocean to the Gulf without blocs, but reality may prompt us to
establish a unity in the Arab Maghreb, a unity in the Arab east,
or a unity in the Gulf. I regard the establishment of the GCC as
a good move. In general, this step is good in view of the fact that
the region is exposed to dangers and to foreign interference.
Your Excellency the Colonel: Arabs aspire to the establish-
ment ofany form of unity such as the unity of the Arab Maghreb.
It is everyone's big dream.
The Colonel: Let us suppose that Libya, Algeria, and those
supporting them established Arab Maghreb unity and then a
country such as Syria, Sudan, or Yemen wanted to join. This
term would not then be in harmony with this unity because Syria
lies in the Arab east, so does Yemen and Sudan. Likewise, if
Libya wants to join the GCC, it is not a Gulf state. Hence,
terminology may be an obstacle to unity. It is better to have
federations such as the USSR, the Swiss federation, and the
Yugoslav federation. These are reasonable terms and allow any
Arab state to join a federation under the term of a federated state.
Our stand on Syria is a basic pan-Arab stand. Syria can join a
federation with the Jamahiriyah because Syria is being targeted
by Israel and colonialism. If Syria falls, God forbid, then there
will be no obstacle impeding a colonialist and Zionist advance in
the region. Syria constitutes the most important military force
after Iraq. I can say that Syria is ready to enter into a tripartite
federation comprising Libya, Algeria, and itself and that there
is no problem in this regard.
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V. 29 Jun 87 D 3
Your Excellency the Colonel: What about the relations
between you and Egypt?
The Colonel: First of all, I am against the normalization of
Israeli-Egyptian relations and the Camp David accords. I have
sent a message to President Mubarak in which I stressed that
Libya is an extension of Egypt's strategic capacity and that
Libya's military power and capabilities are at his disposal in the
event the Israeli enemy confronted him militarily. This took place
3 years ago. The message was written in my own hand. It was
carried by a university professor to Field Marshal [Muhammad
`Abd al-Halim] Abu Ghazalah for delivery to President
Mubarak.
Your Excellency the Colonel: President Mubarak has said that
he will not embark on vituperations or conflicts with the Arab
states and that he is ready to heal the rift with the fraternal
countries. Why don't you be the first to extend a hand to him?
The Colonel: First of all, we are against the David stable
accords. These accords have greatly harmed the Arab world and
have torpedoed 20 years of work exerted by [the late Egyptian
president] `Abd al-Nasir in Africa to gain support for the Arab
cause. `Abd al-Nasir contributed to the building of mosques,
schools, universities, and hotels in several African states. All of
this was negated by the Egyptian regime's signing of the stable
accords. Despite this, we are with this regime against any Israeli
threat. We have exerted great effort to wnvince the African
states to sever their relations with Israel. We have also paid
enormous funds to achieve this objective. As a result, several
African states severed their relations with Israel after the Octo-
ber war.
Your Excellency the Colonel: You have adopted new stands
with regard to the Iraq-Iran war and the unity of Palestinian
factions within the PLO. This latter move called for satisfaction.
Do you have any explanation for these two points?
The Colonel: No Libyan delegation attended the PNC meet-
ings. However, a round of Palestinian talks was held in Tripoli
and came up with a document called the "Tripoli Document."
Another session of talks was held with the Fatah Central Com-
mittee in. Algiers. It seemed as though they had reached a
formula accepted by some sides but rejected by others. This does
not mean that Palestinian unity was fully restored. However, we
consider what was achieved to be a positive element. We have
contributed to achieving this result, which must not be wasted.
We are continuing our efforts to complete Palestinian unity, for
there are a group of important factions which remain outside of
this unity such as Abu Musa's [Sa`id Musa Muraghah] Fatah,
Abu Nidal's [Sabri al-Banna] Fatah, the PFLP-GC led by
Ahmad Jibril, Samir Ghawshah's Popular Struggle Front, and
the Al-Sa`igah organization. All of these factions remain outside
the framework of Palestinian unity.
Your Excellency the Colonel: Yasir `Arafat has praised your
stand toward the camps' war in Lebanon.
The Colonel: We consider the camps' war to be a crime. He
who struggles against the Palestinian camps is an agent of
Zionism and fights on behalf of Israel. Is it a source of pride that
the Arabs fight against citizens in the Palestinian camps and
destroy them? It is an action which serves the Israeli plan to
annihilate the Palestinian people, to disarm them, and to exhaust
them. It is extremely painful that an Arab side fights against the
Palestinian camps.
Your Excellency the Colonel: There have been speculations
about Major `Abd al-Salam Jallud's stay in Syria during the
camps' war.
The Colonel: No, no. This is empty talk!
Your Excellency the Colonel: Do you have plans to invite Yasir
'Arafat to visit Libya?
The Colonel: There is no need to invite Yasir `Arafat to visit
Libya. However, there are Palestinian officials who visit us from
time to time. Among these officials are Abu Jihad [Khalil
al-Wazir],Abu al-Lutf [Faruq Qaddumi], and others. We hold
dialogue and discussions with them. What basically concerns us
is unity. among Palestinians. I consider what took place at the
PNC to be a positive move which must not be reliquished.
However, this is not all that is required.
Your Excellency the Colonel: Do you believe that Syria alone
can fight Israel despite its capabilities and armament?
The Colonel: The war with Israel is a pan-Arab responsibility
and Syria cannot do this until Arab differences are eliminated
and the unity of Arab ranks is achieved. Since Israel receives
support from the United States, we should strike at U.S. interests
in the region. This is the responsibility of the Arab masses. The
United States is the Arabs' archenemy, and its presence in the
region is a threat to the Arab nation. The United States wants to
make Israel control and dominate the Arab east; it wants to
dominate the entire Arab homeland from the Strait of Hormuz
and the Suez Canal through Gibraltar and up to the Mediterra-
nean coast.
Your Excellency the Colonel: Do you think that striking at
U.S. interests in the Arab region might harm the Arab economy?
The Colonel: Quite the contrary. The Arab ewnomy is cur-
rently paralyzed because it is tied to the United States. The
Arabs can be linked to the interests of other countries, such as
the USSR which is an ally of the Arabs, has no relations with
Israel, and supports the Arabs against their enemies.
Your Excellency the Colonel: Do you believe that we can
depend on the USSR if we sever relations with the United States
or if we strike at U.S. interests in the region?
The Colonel: What is required is that we first depend on
ourselves. The USSR is a friend of the Arabs and hostile to the
United States. The USSR has adopted several good stands, such
as that toward President `Abd al-Nasir. However, the Soviet
stand with regard to Al-Sadat and Numayri gave a bad image to
Soviet relations at the time. Numayri and Al-Sadat were bad
examples and this reflected on the Soviets. However, their exper-
iencewith `Abd al-Nasir was good because `Abd al-Nasir did not
grant any bases and was neutral. His relations with the Soviets
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were balanced and based on friendship and respect. We must not
forget the USSR's positive stands on Arab issues at the Security .
Council and the United Nations. There is no harm in bolstering
relations with the USSR in the way pursued by `Abd al-Nasir -.
a strategic relationship based on mutual respect.. We do not
necessarily have to be communists to deal with the USSR,
contrary to what the United States demands of others.
Your Excellency the Colonel: What is left of the Libyan-
Moroccan federation?
The Colonel: The plan was frozen after the Moroccan king
announced the dissolution of the federation via radio.
Your Excellency the Colonel: Eighteen years have passed since
the start of the September revolution. It is a short period of time
in the.life of a nation but a long one for achievements. Would you
please give us a picture of what has been achieved during that
period of time?
The Colonel: Revolutions cannot be assessed in years but by
their:achievements. These may not appear.immediately but only
after generations have passed. Despite the passing of these 18
years, we.still consider ourselves to be at.the beginning of the
revolution: We have experienced and continue to experience
revolutionary action. We still consider ourselves to be at one stage
of the revolution, stages which are short for what we want to
achieve. Over the last few years, we have learned much and we
Your Excellency the Colonel: The newspapers have reported have gone through important experiences, some of which were
The Colonel: It is true that Chadian nationalist forces entered
the Sudanese border area and that they were regarded as Libyan
forces. However, half the population of Chad is Arab Sudanese.
Arab tribes are present within Chad and reach Ndjamena in the
east; they are also present in southern and central Chad. They
are present in half the area bordering Sudan and they are all
Arab tribes. Our relations with Sudan are good. The leaders and
members of the AI-Ummah Party and the Democratic Unionist
Party resided in Libya during Numayri's era. We 'trained,
assisted, and armed them and they stayed with us for several
years. We extend massive aid to the Sudanese people without
announcing it. Convoys and hundreds of vehicles carrying water
drills, plows, and agricultural tools and equipment leave Libya.
for Sudan every month.
Your Excellency the Colonel: What about relations with Bri-
tain, and what are Britain's views on the Arab nation?
The Colonel: Britain harbors adeeply-rooted grudge against
the Arabs. It is a crusader state. During Thatcher's era it is
considered a special U.S. tool used against the Soviet Union, the
Arabs, and the Palestinians. Thatcher was the first British prime
minister to visit Israel. This is a challenge to all Arabs. As for
France, there is a chance for an understanding with it. Our
relations with this country are not as bad as some,people imagine.
The only bad thing in France is that it wants to maintain its old
ugly military, colonialist face and it deals with other countries
through military bases. It has military bases in Central Africa.
This means that the Republic of Central Africa is a French
colony. The same is also true of Gabon, Senegal, the Ivory Coast,
Chad, the Island of Madagascar, the Comoros, Caledonia, and
French Guiana in Central America. We are against France and
adopt a hostile stand toward it because it is a colonialist state in
Africa. However, its policy is different from that of the United
States, and its does not submit to the United States as some
countries do.
Your Excellency the Colonel: Do you plan to attend the Arab
summit conference in Riyadh if it is convened there?
The Colonel: Yes. We will attend the conference. We have
begun our contacts with Arab leaders and we stressed to them
the need to convene the summit in September, 1987.
negative and bitter. In other words, we have experienced real
revolution which is different from other revolutions in the Arab
homeland. Iraq has suffered from the war, regardless of what has
happened to the other side. Iraq, the Iraqi brothers, and the Iraqi
people have undergone a very important historic experience in
- this.war..They~have suffered in terms of the number of victims,
the economic efforts exerted, the human losses, the victories, and
the defeats. It is an extremely important experience similar to
that of the Palestinian and Lebanese peoples. Of course, there
are other historic,experiences such as the one which took place
in Algeria during French wlonialism and the liberation war. We
in Libya had such an experience in the days of Italian colonial-
ism. These 18 years are not so different from the liberation war
in Algeria and.the Iraqi war. We also faced military confronta-
tions with the United States and the reactionary NATO forces.
We fought the French in Uganda and Lebanon. The last 18 years
have not all been military battles and the experiences gained have
not all been the same. However, it has, been a time rich in
revolutionary action. We have,been carrying out our duties and
we have been waging a conflict with the Arab reality in order to
achieve our aspirations.
We have experienced victories, setbacks, and frustrations. It has
been a hard experience. The past years have not been good ones,
but we have managed to enable the people to assume power.
Despite this, we are still in the revolution. Therefore, we cannot
assess what we have achieved over the last 18 years. The overall
results have been rich. We have managed to establish a Jamahir-
iyah state in the Arab world, among the Third World countries
and the contemporary world, at a time when politics were forbid-
den in Arab countries. Politics have become the task of all the
people in Libya. Even the weapons which were once confined to
the Army and the police forces are now obtained by the popular
masses. Students study the rifle, the gun, and the missile and they
can use their weapons and fight anytime they wish.
Moreover, Libya's resources, which were exploited by foreign
companies, have been utilized in the interest of the masses and
have become the property of the people. Nevertheless, we feel
that we are still at the beginning and in an experimental phase.
We are discussing how to make factories the property of workers
and how to turn workers into partners rather than paid employ-
ees. On 1 September a new phase may begin in an effort to make
the economic and services institutions the property of the popular
masses. We may have worked out a theory which has not been
understood in the last quarter of this century. However, it is a
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new theory which has solved the problems of power, administra-
tion, incentives, and ownership. These issues have been solved
theoretically, but the features of this theory have not yet become
clear practically. Therefore, we cannot export this theory at the
present time.
In brief, I am neither a president nor a ruler. I am a revolutionary.
We have established the' state of the masses ruled by people's
congresses and committees. God willing, we will witness impor-
tant changes this year. There will be a unique, new experiment
in the world. Resources must not be the property of the govern-
ment just like nationalization is not the property of a people nor
is it a private property because its revenues will eventually be
obtained by the owner of these resources, whether this is an
individual or a group of people. Our theory has solved this
problem and turned ownership into the property of groups of
people; that is, the collective ownership which was mentioned in
the second part of the Green Book.
For example, let us suppose that? there is a hotel owned by one
person or by the state. Here the income will go to either of these
two parties which, practically, means a lack in the distribution
of income or resources. Collective ownership is designed to make
a group of people from the masses the owners of the hotel so that
its revenues will go to all of them. These people run the hotel and
manage its affairs regardless of whether the state or other parties
have built it. Let us take a huge agricultural project, for example,
which may employ 1,000 Libyans. They run such a project and
distribute its revenues among themselves. This would also be the
case with factories "and institutions. Eventually you would find
that all institutions are owned by groups of people. On a lower
level, we may establish small workshops owned, for example, by
10 people. There would be neither employers nor workers but a
workshop owned by a group of people.
Your Excellency the Colonel: How will the revenues of projects
and factories be distributed among owners? In other words, is
there a definite limit on ways to make expenditures, or are they
allowed to distribute profits in any..way whatsoever?
The Colonel: Basically, all of the revenues would be obtained
by the group'of workers or the institution that owns the project.
But let us suppose that the revenues were large. In this case, taxes
would be imposed according to the income of the workers in these
factories and institutions to ensure that the society would grow
gradually and equally.
Your Excellency the Colonel: Have you faced negative aspects
or obstacles?
The Colonel: The major negative aspect is the backward man.
Overcoming this negative aspect will require time, because the
Arabs have suffered from colonialism and the burdens of back-
wardness which cannot be easily defeated. The Arabs need a
number of years to be saved from social and economic backward-
ness. Moreover, one's cultural or scientific education cannot be
a standard of progress and civilization. There are many educated
people who are considered backward as a result of their irrespon-
sible, unwise behavior which negatively reflects. on groups of
people or. on society.
Your Excellency the Colonel: What is the status of the artifi-
cial river project?
The Colonel: We have attained a satisfactory level and work
is underway to lay huge pipes between Banghazi and the Gulf of
Sidra. At a later stage, pipes will be extended to Tripoli. The
project costs several billions [currency not specified]. The pipes
are 4,000-7,000 km long: It is the largest project ever established
on earth. It is one of the world's wonders in view of the fact that
the pipe's diameter is 4 meters wide.
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Diplomatic Relations With Iran Severed 28 Jun
A8281600 Paris AFP in English 1 S43 GMT 28 Jun 87
[Text] Nouakchott, June 28 (AFP) -Mauritania severed diplo-
matic relations with Iran on Sunday [28 June] over Tehran's
"(?obstinate) refusal" to negotiate an end to the Gulf war, a
Foreign Ministry statement said. It said Iran's stance "threatens
the peace and the stability of all countries in the region."
The two Islamic republics have had diplomatic ties for 20 years,
although their trade links are virtually non-existent. Both had
embassies in the other's capital and officials said Mauritania's
ambassador to Tehran was doyen of the diplomatic corps there.
Mauritania, which has never hidden its sympathies for Iraq,
"favored an immediate end to hostilities and a negotiated settle-
ment" of the conflict, the statement said. "For almost seven
years, a war that is getting more and more murderous has raged
in the Gulf causing countless casualties and material losses."
According to Nouakchott, Iran has persistently wrecked peace
initiatives by the United Nations, the Non-Aligned Movement,
and the Organization of Islamic Conference, and pursued a
"strategy of systematic impediment of freedom of movement in
the Gulf aimed at choking the economies of all countries in the
region".
Mauritanian President Maaouya Ould Sid`Ahmed Taya
received a message from Kuwait's Emir Shaykh Jabir al-Ahmad
al-Jabir al-Sabah on Saturday on developments in the Gulf. The
envoy who delivered the message said that the president had
expressed support for measures taken by Kuwait to protect its
economy, which is threatened by the war on its borders.
`Text' of Ministry Statement
LD282138 Nouakchott Domestic Service in Arabic
2032 GMT 28 Jun 87
[Text] The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation has
announced in a statement issued today that our country has
decided to sever its diplomatic relations with Iran after having
ascertained that Iran (?showed no interest) in Arabian Gulf peace
negotiations. The following is the text of the statement:
For almost 7 years a devastating war has raged in the Gulf area,
one which causes enormous human and material losses daily.
Throughout this conflict between two Muslim countries, the
Islamic Republic of Mauritania has relentlessly called for a
cease-fire and for settling this war through negotiation. A num
ber of initiatives were sponsored -particularly .by the United
Nations, the Nonaligned Movement, and the Islamic Conference
Organization - to put an end to this conflict which threatens
both regional stability and sovereignty,as well as international
peace and security. However, Iran persists in thwarting all of
these efforts. It recently has attempted, by using military force,
to extend the wnflict's scope to include other countries in the
region. Iran has also recently committed a fresh violation of
international law by devising a strategy aimed at the total
obstruction of navigation in the Gulf in order to strangle all the
region's national economies.
The Islamic Republic of Mauritania, out of its eagerness to
preserve the safety of the region and the stability and security of
the Gulf nations, and after having ascertained that Iran, by its
continuous rejection of all negotiations, aims at objectives con-
trary to all of those listed above, has decided to sever its diplo-
matic relations with Iran.
President Receives Kuwaiti Envoy, Amir's Message
AB280905 Nouakchott Domestic Service in French
0730 GMT 28 Jun 87
(Text] A special envoy sent by Shaykh Jabir al-Ahmad al-Jabir
al-Sabah, the Kuwaiti amir, was received by the head of state
yesterday. The envoy, Khalid Ahmad al-Jabir, the minister of
Awqaf and Islamic affairs, delivered a message to President
Maaouya Ould Sid`Ahmed Taya. The message, he indicated,
touches on developments in the Arab world, particularly in the
Gulf region. He further stated after his audience with the presi-
dentthat the head of state had expressed Mauritania's sympathy
with Kuwait and its understanding of measures taken by the
latter to safeguard its economy in the face of threats posed by the
Gulf war.
SDAR Official Arrives With Message for President
LD271418 Nouakchott Domestic Service in Arabic
2030 CMT 26 Jun 87
[Text] Mohamed Salim Ould Sadek, member of the Polisario
Political Bureau and secretary general of the SDAR presidency,
arrived in Nouakchott this morning. He told the Mauritanian
News Agency on his arrival that he carries a message from SDAR
President Mohamed Abdelaziz to Colonel Maaouya Ould
Sid`Ahmed Taya, chairman of the Military Committee for
National Salvation and head of state. He added that the message
wmes under the framework~of consultations between the two
countries and deals with the~latest regional developments.
Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/03/12 :CIA-RDP05-015598000400420020-7